Vitamin D deficiency common with brittle bones

	Tweet

In all regions of the world, more than half of postmenopausal women with the crippling bone disease osteoporosis are vitamin D deficient, regardless of age, latitude or season, researchers from US, the Netherlands and UK said here last week at the 11th World Congress on the Menopause.

According to the investigators, “These results underscore the need to improve physician and patient awareness of the importance of adequate vitamin D supplementation in postmenopausal women with Osteoporosis."

The researchers, led by Dr. Mary K. Beard, of the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, conducted two cross-sectional studies to evaluate vitamin D levels in more than 4,100 postmenopausal women older than 55 years old who had been diagnosed with Osteoporosis in different parts of the world.

The prevalence of vitamin D inadequacy by individual regions was found to be 52 percent in North America, 52 percent in Europe, 82 percent in the Middle East, 51 percent in Latin America, 63 percent in Asia and 59 percent in the Pacific Rim.

Figures were found to be similar in winter and summer.

Dr. Fabio Massari, from the Institute of Metabolic Investigations in Buenos Aires, who led a previous similar study of Vitamin D deficiency among Argentinean women, said that normal aging involves a reduction in the production of vitamin D by sun-exposed skin. Absorption of vitamin D precursors from foods and conversion of vitamin D into its active form also diminish as people get older, he added.

Massari said all osteoporotic patients should have their vitamin D status checked because it “can certainly influence the outcomes of any (bone strengthening) treatment.”

RELATED STORIES:
Girls aged 10 are taking the Pill   Low-income mothers risk obesity to feed children   Young Women Burned by Addictions to Tanning   Exercise Reduces Risk Of Endometrial Cancer   No sex advantage seen with sub-total hysterectomy   Japan’s women set long life record for 20th year   Women report feeling pain more intensely than men, says Stanford study of electronic medical records   Does a gene variant make women more prone to alcoholism?   Women Less Likely to Have a Stroke After Mini-Stroke   Osteoporosis drug may reduce mental decline risk   Prevalence of bunions increases with age; more common in women   Snoring pregnant women at higher risk for gestational diabetes

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]